A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Who's up for a weekend challenge?

My wife and I are in the midst of packing for our imminent trip to India and, as you'd imagine, deciding which scent to take is just as important as remembering passports and toothbrushes. I'd like both of us to take a fragrance which we could use pretty much on a daily basis, so that, in future, one spray of it will be enough to transport us back to our holiday.

I think we've decided what my wife's will be: it's a flanker of an extremely popular (perhaps TOO popular, if I'm being honest) release, which contains a generous dose of jasmine and rose absolutes and will therefore feel right at home in India. Any guesses?

But as far as my choice is concerned, I think I'd like to hear suggestions from fellow Basenoters. I don't want anything safe: I have no problem with scents that announce their presence long before I've entered the room. And, in keeping with the geographical context, I think I'd like something that features prominent sandalwood and spice notes... maybe even a strong rose, with a scattering of dry spices. Oh, and here's one other factor to make your task more difficult: your suggestions can't be too 'niche'; they have to be releases that I could obtain fairly easily in a mainstream shop.

So... any ideas??

Thanks in advance to anyone who leaves a comment.

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I am a Jasmine Award winning fragrance critic, amateur perfumer, Basenotes contributor and regular columnist for Esprit Magazine. My perfume guide, Le Snob: Perfume, is published by Hardie Grant. Click on its title for more info.

For giveaways, reviews of new perfume releases and thoughts on all sorts of scent-related matters, please visit Persolaise.com or find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

For your lady, would Samsara fit the bill? Load of jasmine and some rose. Smells very Indian to me.

For yourself, Montale's Attar is Sandalwood and rose with some nice spices (saffron is one of them). Smells gorgeous and not too "niche" or "challenging". And it projects and lasts very well.

Edit: Ooops sorry I missed: "they have to be releases that I could obtain fairly easily in a mainstream shop." So I guess Montale is out? Still, I think Attar fits your description quite well and isn't all too difficult to obtain.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Thanks for all the responses so far, I appreciate them.

I had already considered Samsara, but that seems a bit too obvious a choice to me, and besides, I'm not a fan of its sandalwood drydown. I'm not familiar with Bulgari's Jasmin Noir, so I'll have to try it somewhere.

As for the suggestions for me, I already own Fahrenheit 32 and although I like it very much, it's a little too light and transparent for India. Montale's Attar would be fantastic, I'm sure, but probably WAY over my budget :-) I haven't tried the Kenzo, so I'll have to track it down... but I was surprised by the Chanel suggestion. Is Egoiste really sandalwoody?? I don't remember it like that at all. Another sniffing spree is in order, I think...

Any more tips? Oh, and by the way, I should mention that I have no problem whatsoever with wearing scents that are supposedly only for women.

Thanks again for all your help.

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I am a Jasmine Award winning fragrance critic, amateur perfumer, Basenotes contributor and regular columnist for Esprit Magazine. My perfume guide, Le Snob: Perfume, is published by Hardie Grant. Click on its title for more info.

For giveaways, reviews of new perfume releases and thoughts on all sorts of scent-related matters, please visit Persolaise.com or find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

As soon as I read this post I thought "Do I know the fragrance for you!"

One of my all time favorite fragrances is Gandhara, from Neil Morris' Memory Of India series. It's a dark, heady jasmine with a delightfully complex earthy-animalic accord. It has this certain warm, moist quality to it that reminds me of the humidity and exuberant vegetation of Florida in the wet season, but it's not green or aquatic in the least, in fact it's kind of floriental in its own unusual way. Considering you're not seeking something safe ( it is very unusual ) and are okay with "feminine" notes ( I think most men can wear this with no trouble; in fact I sent it to a men's powerhouse fan who liked it a lot, but it is floral ) and you're seeking a jasmine fragrance ( this is tied with Sarrasins as my favorite ), I think this is definitely one you need to try!

Edit, I realize my suggestion is fairly "niche", but I'll be happy to send you some if there's time enough between now and when you go.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Yes, the niche world is filled with scents that truly do an India vibe well. Anya McCoy's Kewdra is now my defining India scent, although Gandhara is definitely the long-time standout.

If you are open to women's scents, then consider not only Kenzo Jungle Pour Homme, but the women's version, Kenzo Jungle Elephant, which is supposedly a real winner. And Kenzo Amour Indian Holi does have a real Indian vibe, although perhaps a bit on the floral side.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Before even reading this thread, Fahrenheit came to mind. Now seeing you enjoy a sandalwood, that being in the base of Fahrenheit. Not entirely though, it is quite a unique blend if you haven't already tried it. It's a bit daring too, but you have to like it from the start in order to enjoy it so much.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

It's really interesting. If I was going to go to india, and in summer, I wouldn't consider big scents.
But your reasoning makes sense.

If your wife's scent isn't set in stone, you may want to check out kenzo Jungle D'Elephant.
You may even use it yourself. I think it would fit your needs perfectly, as it's a special bottle, and it would not only make you imagine of india with its scent, but with its awesome bottle as well.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Midnight Poison is now high on my list of scents to try, although, strictly speaking, I should already know what it smells like. Weird how it's slipped beneath my radar...

Sugandaraja, thanks very much indeed for your kind offer, but I don't think there's enough time to wait for a parcel to arrive now. Maybe when I return from my trip? Gandhara certainly sounds fascinating, as does Kenzo's Jungle Elephant.

I think I need to organise a shopping trip at some stage tomorrow...

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I am a Jasmine Award winning fragrance critic, amateur perfumer, Basenotes contributor and regular columnist for Esprit Magazine. My perfume guide, Le Snob: Perfume, is published by Hardie Grant. Click on its title for more info.

For giveaways, reviews of new perfume releases and thoughts on all sorts of scent-related matters, please visit Persolaise.com or find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

Originally Posted by sarıpatates

It's really interesting. If I was going to go to india, and in summer, I wouldn't consider big scents.
But your reasoning makes sense.

If your wife's scent isn't set in stone, you may want to check out kenzo Jungle D'Elephant.
You may even use it yourself. I think it would fit your needs perfectly, as it's a special bottle, and it would not only make you imagine of india with its scent, but with its awesome bottle as well.

Yeah, I agree. I might bring the spicy monster for a couple of days of scent memories - or possibly for evening wear - but I would be all over cooling citrus and aquatics during the day.

Speaking of which, consider (based on Jenson's talk about monsoons) Hermès Un Jardin après la Mousson. Spicy aquatic constructed on an Indian monsoon theme. But I would only wear it a day or two. It's not an everyday scent. In fact, for a lot of folks, it's a zero day scent.

Re: A fragrance for India - any suggestions?

I thought those of you who commented might be interested to know how my little perfume hunt ended.

Surprise, surprise, none of the shops near me had Egoiste or anything by Kenzo other than Flower. I tried Midnight Poison, but I'm afraid I found it a little too sickly fruity. "Never mind," I told myself, "you'll find something interesting at Heathrow." Little did I know how wrong I was...

The selection at the airport was pretty depressing. Tons of shop floor space was given to Ralph Lauren's ridiculous new Big Pony scents. There were no interesting Kenzos, no Serge Lutens, not even Habit Rouge EDP at the Guerlain counter. In the end, I bought Bulgari Black, which, although it's perfectly decent, doesn't really have the heavy/heady feel I wanted for India.

Oh well.

Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions.

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I am a Jasmine Award winning fragrance critic, amateur perfumer, Basenotes contributor and regular columnist for Esprit Magazine. My perfume guide, Le Snob: Perfume, is published by Hardie Grant. Click on its title for more info.

For giveaways, reviews of new perfume releases and thoughts on all sorts of scent-related matters, please visit Persolaise.com or find me on Twitter or Facebook.